Health
After Biden’s 'terrible' debate, health experts warn of denial dangers, call for investigation of symptoms
Amid the ongoing fallout from Joe Biden’s lackluster debate performance on June 27, experts continue to react to potential signs of cognitive decline in the 46th president, with the president himself acknowledging on Monday morning, July 8, that he had a “terrible night” and “really regrets” that it happened.
Judy Gaman, CEO of Executive Medicine of Texas — a luxury medical services provider in Southlake — told Fox News Digital over the weekend that Biden’s behaviors highlight a very real health crisis in the U.S.
“As a country, we need to be talking about the realities of this health crisis — the fact that families are often torn apart by denial,” she said.
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While Biden has not been diagnosed with dementia, Gaman said she sees many of the same signs she experienced with her own mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease before her death.
“The person with dementia or Alzheimer’s truly believes they are fine, and can be angered by anyone believing they are not,” Gaman said. (She has not examined or treated Biden.)
President Biden is shown on stage during a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. Amid the ongoing fallout from Biden’s lackluster debate performance on June 27, experts continue to react to potential signs of cognitive decline in the 46th president. (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to both the White House and the Biden campaign but did not receive a response.
Red flags
Based on his speech and behaviors, Gaman said she believes Biden “certainly” shows signs of a neurological deficit, with Alzheimer’s being a possibility.
“He stares, loses his thoughts and is rumored to get angry quite easily,” she said. “Watching him is like watching my own mother who had Alzheimer’s,” she added.
“As a country, we need to be talking about the realities of this health crisis — the fact that families are often torn apart by denial.”
Almost all early Alzheimer’s patients rely on notes to help them remember, Gaman pointed out.
“As the disease progresses, they require visual aids and instructions to help them complete even the simplest tasks and to remember dates and events.”
Based on his speech and behaviors, Gaman of Executive Medicine in Texas told Fox News Digital she believes Biden shows signs of a neurological deficit. She has not examined the president. Biden is shown here during the June 27 debate with former President Trump. (Getty Images)
Given Biden’s shuffling feet and lack of arm movement when he walks, Gaman said that Parkinson’s disease could be another possibility.
“If you notice, he also leans forward, which is classic,” she said. “Slowed movement, also known as bradykinesia, is another classic sign. We have all noticed how he looks to be in slow motion.”
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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said it is more likely that Biden has vascular dementia, which is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s.
“His gait is not consistent with Parkinson’s disease,” Siegel, who has not treated Biden, told Fox News Digital.
“He was visited by a Parkinson’s expert in January 2024, but the subsequent White House physical said he didn’t have it.”
“I think what he has is much more consistent with vascular dementia.”
Siegel also said he believes Biden is not showing signs of advancing Alzheimer’s, which would generally involve worsening behavioral issues, delusions and hallucinations.
“I don’t believe this is Alzheimer’s,” the doctor added. “I think what he has is much more consistent with vascular dementia (insufficient blood flow to areas of the brain) from his long-term atrial fibrillation and a result of his brain aneurysm repairs in 1988 and brain bleed at that time.”
One physician called for an MRI to determine whether Biden has vascular dementia, which is when impaired blood flow to the brain causes problems with memory, reasoning, judgment and other thought processes. (iStock)
Vascular dementia is when impaired blood flow to the brain causes problems with memory, reasoning, judgment and other thought processes, according to Mayo Clinic’s website.
It is often caused by strokes, but can also stem from other medical conditions that affect the blood vessels in the brain.
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Most of the cognitive tests — such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment — are designed to assess mild cognitive impairment, according to Siegel.
“Biden appears to be far past that,” he said. “I was calling for that from 2020 to 2023.”
Added Siegel, “He needs an MRI now most of all. We should ask for an MRI.”
The dangers of denial
Regarding the Biden family’s apparent failure to seek help for the president, Gaman said that in her view, she feels there are only three explanations.
“Either they are in denial and have watched this take place over a period of time, so they are less sensitive to the contrast, or they are fully aware but can’t bear the thought of what happens to the family (on many levels) if Joe is no longer president,” she said.
President Biden listens as first lady Jill Biden speaks at a post-debate campaign rally on June 28, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Getty Images)
Or, Gaman added, it could be that they are actually grieving and want to hold onto the hope that he will somehow get better.
“Denial is a stage of grief,” she said. “This is worsened by the fact that they’re surrounded by people pressuring them not to let their opponent win.”
“This is a medical situation, though, of course, it has enormous political implications.”
As far as Biden himself, Siegel said, “He does appear to be in denial. This is very common with dementia or cognitive impairment, as is depression, as those around you start to treat you differently.”
Another possibility, according to Gaman, is that “he probably doesn’t know he has an issue, or he excuses his symptoms. He may not be knowingly covering it up.”
“He stares, loses his thoughts and is rumored to get angry quite easily,” an expert said. “Watching him is like watching my own mother who had Alzheimer’s.” (Saul Loeb/AFP)
“This is why family members of those affected must be advocates, protecting them from themselves.”
She went on, “Ask any family who has dealt with Alzheimer’s, dementia or Parkinson’s, and they will tell you that what we are seeing play out [here] is classic with most families who face this.”
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“His story just happens to be playing out on the big stage. Remember, everyone rallying around Biden and covering up the truth has something personal to gain by him continuing to hold office.”
If Biden is experiencing cognitive decline, failure to get him the medical attention he needs could be putting his health in danger, according to Gaman.
“As a physician, I feel compassion for the president,” Dr. Marc Siegel said. “I have learned to feel empathy for anyone who is ill. This is a medical situation, though, of course, it has enormous political implications.” (Fox News)
“While there are certainly no cures for Alzheimer’s or Parkinsons, these conditions are often accelerated by stress and lack of sleep,” she told Fox News Digital.
“From Joe’s health standpoint, this is like pouring gasoline on a fire. From the standpoint of the country, we need to address this as a health crisis and not a political crisis.”
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Gaman also noted that if Biden does have one of these conditions, he will not ask for help.
“This is a prime opportunity to increase funding for research, raise awareness and encourage others dealing with this to come out of denial.”
Siegel added that he is also concerned about the possibility of depression, which could make dementia worse.
“As a physician, I feel compassion for the president,” he said. “I have learned to feel empathy for anyone who is ill. This is a medical situation, though, of course, it has enormous political implications.”
If Biden does have a neurodegenerative condition, Siegel said, the symptoms may wax and wane, but “do not generally get better.”
He added, “He will likely get worse, especially under all this stress and scrutiny.”
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A popular class of weight-loss drugs may prevent life-threatening cardiac complications by opening microscopic blood vessels that often remain blocked after a heart attack, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.
The research, led by the University of Bristol and University College London, identified a biological brain-gut-heart signaling pathway.
This discovery appears to explain how GLP-1 drugs — which mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite — protect heart tissue from a condition known as “no-reflow.”
“In nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny blood vessels within the heart muscle remain narrowed, even after the main artery is cleared during emergency medical treatment,” Dr. Svetlana Mastitskaya, the study’s lead author and a senior lecturer at Bristol Medical School, said in a press release.
“This results in a complication known as ‘no-reflow,’ where blood is unable to reach certain parts of the heart tissue.”
In nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny capillaries (blood vessels) remain narrowed even after the main blocked artery is cleared. (iStock)
This lack of blood flow increases the risk of heart failure and death within a year. GLP-1 medications could prevent this, according to the researchers.
How it works
When the GLP-1 hormone is released in the gut or administered as a drug, it sends a signal to the brain, which then sends a signal to the heart that switches on special potassium channels in tiny cells called pericytes.
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When these channels open, the pericytes relax, which allows the small blood vessels (capillaries) to widen and improve blood flow to the heart muscle, the researchers noted.
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The new study used animal models and cellular imaging to track how GLP-1 interacts with heart tissue. When the researchers removed the potassium channels, the drugs no longer protected the heart — confirming they play a key role.
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 medications, already used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be repurposed as emergency treatments. (iStock)
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 medications, already used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be repurposed as emergency treatments during or immediately after a heart attack to reduce tissue damage.
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The researchers noted several limitations, including that the study relied on animal models.
Clinical trials are necessary to determine whether the brain-gut-heart pathway operates with the same timing and efficacy in humans.
While the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it des not establish whether long-term use of these drugs provides a pre-existing level of protection. (iStock)
Additionally, while the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it does not establish whether long-term use of the medication provides a pre-existing level of protection.
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The research was primarily funded by the British Heart Foundation.
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Collagen supplements have exploded in popularity, touted as everything from an anti-aging miracle to a muscle recovery booster.
But a sweeping new review conducted by U.K. researchers suggests that while collagen may help improve skin elasticity and ease arthritis pain, it does little for athletic performance or wrinkle reduction.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University analyzed 16 systematic reviews and 113 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 8,000 participants worldwide, which they say is the most extensive evaluation of collagen’s health effects to date.
The review found consistent evidence that collagen supplementation improves skin elasticity and hydration over time and provides significant relief from osteoarthritis-related joint pain and stiffness, according to findings published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum.
A large U.K. review found that collagen supplements may improve skin elasticity and hydration over time. (iStock)
The researchers, however, did not find meaningful improvements in post-exercise muscle recovery, soreness or tendon mechanical properties (strength, springiness and stretch resistance).
“Collagen is not a cure-all, but it does have credible benefits when used consistently over time, particularly for skin and osteoarthritis,” co-author Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University, said in a statement.
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“Our findings show clear benefits in key areas of healthy aging, while also dispelling some of the myths surrounding its use,” Smith added.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, supports skin, bones, tendons, cartilage and connective tissue, according to experts. Natural collagen production begins to drop in early adulthood and declines more sharply with age.
The study found that collagen supplements may help reduce joint pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis. (iStock)
The review found that long-term collagen supplementation was linked to improved skin firmness and hydration, but did not help skin roughness — a proxy for visible wrinkles.
Benefits appear to accumulate gradually, suggesting that collagen should not be viewed as an “anti-wrinkle ‘quick fix,’ but as a foundational dermal support for individuals seeking holistic skin maintenance,” the researchers said.
“If we define anti-aging as a product or technique designed to prevent the appearance of getting older, then I believe our findings do support this claim for some parameters,” Smith told the BBC. “For example, an improvement in skin tone and moisture is associated with a more youthful-looking appearance.”
Collagen supplementation was linked to reduced pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis, with stronger benefits seen over longer periods of use, and showed modest improvements in muscle mass and tendon structure that may support healthy aging.
Collagen did not significantly improve skin roughness, a marker of visible wrinkles. (iStock)
However, it did not show meaningful results when used as a fast-acting sports performance supplement, and evidence for benefits related to cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and oral health was mixed or inconclusive.
Dr. Daniel Ghiyam, a California-based physician and longevity specialist, said the findings align with what he sees in clinical practice.
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“Collagen is a targeted support tool, not a foundation of health or performance,” Ghiyam, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “When marketed that way, it makes sense. When marketed as a cure-all, it doesn’t hold up to the data.”
The authors noted that while many previous collagen studies have received financial support from the supplement industry, the current review did not receive industry funding.
Experts say collagen supplements may offer modest benefits for skin hydration and joint comfort, but they are not a cure-all. (iStock)
The team called for more high-quality clinical trials examining long-term outcomes, optimal dosages and differences between collagen sources, such as marine, bovine and plant-based alternatives.
Among its limitations, the review could not determine whether certain forms of collagen work better than others or what the optimal regimen should be.
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While the review included randomized controlled trials, the quality of the studies varied, with newer research generally showing stronger results.
Experts say more data and studies are needed to build on the findings. They also noted that diet plays a crucial role in skin health.
Collagen supplements, often sold as powders or pills, may improve skin elasticity and ease joint pain, experts say. (iStock)
Dr. Erum Ilyas, a Pennsylvania-based dermatologist and chair of dermatology at Drexel University College of Medicine, noted that the review analyzed previously published meta-analyses rather than generating new primary data.
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“At this time, I have not seen sufficiently strong independent evidence to routinely recommend collagen supplements to my patients,” Ilyas, who was not involved in the review, told Fox News Digital.
“Although some studies show modest improvements in markers such as hydration and elasticity, there remains limited independent, biopsy-confirmed evidence demonstrating sustained increases in dermal collagen content,” she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.
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